Pesticide Protection for Farmworkers

Farmworkers pick strawberries in Wayne County, NY.

Photo Courtesy Of Alina Diaz / Alianza Nacional De Campesinas

Case Overview

The Environmental Protection Agency is allowing the continued use of azinphos-methyl and phosmet, two highly dangerous agricultural chemicals that attack human nervous systems and can cause death. Earthjustice represents farmworkers and others to halt the use of the chemicals. In April 2005, the United States Supreme Court upheld the right of people to sue pesticide maufacturers to compensate for injuries caused by toxic pesticides. Earthjustice Managing Attorney Patti Goldman was the chief author of the friend of the court brief.

Focus Area

Advocacy Campaign

Case Updates

We live in one of the richest nations on earth, but nearly 3 million agricultural workers who cultivate and harvest our food lack the basic protections they need to keep themselves and their families safe from harmful pesticides.

Special occasions often require a special touch, like a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a basket filled with luscious strawberries, or a bottle of the finest wine. But what about the people and places that harvested those crops before the date? How do they fare?

The farmworkers who help bring fresh fruit and produce to your table aren’t protected by the safety standards most workers in the U.S. enjoy. The farmworkers’ reality is often a nightmare of back-breaking work and repeated exposure to toxic chemicals.

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